Rio Ferdinand has begun talks with Queens Park Rangers over a potential move next season, Football Express News understands. The 35-year-old defender was released by Manchester United at the end of last season but is hoping to agree a 12 month contract with the West London side. The move had been halted over a disagreement over Ferdinand’s high wages but QPR manager Harry Redknapp is hopeful he can conclude a deal this week. Redknapp met Ferdinand in London on Tuesday night and is confident of finally completing a deal and believes that the centre-back can help Rangers establish a constant…
Author: Staff Writer
Liverpool target Davide Astori has until the end of the day to decide on a proposed move to Lazio, according to reports in Italy. Il Messaggero claims the Rome outfit will move on to other targets if their final deadline comes and goes without the 27-year-old making a definitive choice. The report also reveals that Serie A champions Juventus have joined the race following their appointment of Massimiliano Allegri as manager, and they are ready to battle Liverpool for his services if Lazio fall out of the picture. Allegri was swiftly installed as the new man at the helm following…
Football Express News understands that Arsenal have completed the signing of Newcastle United defender Mathieu Debuchy. The French full-back arrived in North London last week to complete a medical at Arsenal ahead of a summer move and it is now understood that all the details have been completed, with the Gunners set to announce the news on their official website on Thursday. The 28-year-old had a superb season for Newcastle United last year and had emerged as a target for Arsenal following doubts over Bacary Sagna’s future, with the Frenchman eventually deciding to join Premier League rivals Manchester City. Initial…
Manchester City have softened their stance on the potential departure of defender Matija Nastasic and are willing to sell him once they land Porto’s Eliaquim Mangala, Football Express News understands. A source close to the Etihad Stadium told FEN the Blues were previously reluctant to part company with the 21-year-old, who burst onto the Premier League scene two years ago but endured a difficult 2013-14 campaign. However, with France international Mangala on the verge of joining the club after undergoing a medical at the Bridgewater Hospital, Nastasic will slip even further down the pecking order. The insider informed FEN that…
West Ham United co-chairman David Gold has moved to play down talk that the club will miss out on primary summer transfer target Enner Valencia. Supporters have expressed concerns about the length of time the Hammers are taking to complete the deal for the Pachuca and Ecuador striker, who scored all three of his national side’s goals in this summer’s World Cup. Hopes were temporarily raised last week when photographs emerged online of the forward arriving at Heathrow Airport, only for the son of co-chairman David Sullivan to confirm the pictures were fake. Since Jack Sullivan’s criticism of the bogus…
Premier League giants Liverpool and Chelsea returned to football on Wednesday night as they faced Brondby and Wycombe Wanderers in pre-season friendlies. Brendan Rodgers saw his side get off to a losing start in terms of pre-season football after losing to Brondby. The Danish side started well and saw Christian Norgaard profit from a poor defensive error, before he tapped home past Liverpool keeper Brad Jones. The Premier League runners-up bounced back with Brazilian playmaker Phillipe Coutinho coming close, but he saw his effort denied by the home keeper. Jordan Ibe then burst forward before playing in youngster Kristoffer Peterson,…
Liverpool left-back Jose Enrique has poured cold water on speculation that he is struggling to regain his fitness after finally returning from a lengthy spell on the sidelines. The Spaniard, who made only nine appearances last season due to a serious knee injury, made his long-awaited return to training with his team-mates last week and was widely-expected to play in yesterday’s pre-season friendly against Danish outfit Brondby. However, he did not feature at all for Brendan Rodgers’ side, sparking fresh fears that he had suffered a setback or returned to training too early. But in the aftermath of the surprise…
Real Madrid have completed the summer signing of German World Cup winner Toni Kroos from Bayern Munich. The Germany international arrived in Palma, Mallorca, yesterday just one day after celebrating his country’s World Cup win in Berlin and following reports that he would put pen-to-paper on a deal with Madrid – a deal is now complete. German club Bayern Munich announced that Kroos had completed his move to Madrid for an undisclosed fee early on Thursday morning. The attacking midfielder has long been linked with Manchester United, but the English side failed to make a breakthrough in the deal. “We…
Manchester United are reportedly demanding £11.8million for winger Nani as talks with AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani reach an advanced stage. According to Italian source Tutto Mercato Web, the Serie A outfit are reluctant to pay more than £7.8m for the Portugal international, who hardly figured in the Red Devils’ torrid 2013-14 campaign. Galliani remains in a regular dialogue with his United counterparts and is said to be cautiously optimistic of securing Nani’s services, having set his sights on a compromise deal which could include add-ons based on appearances. The San Siro giants’ hierarchy have promised new head coach Filippo…
Chelsea captain John Terry has backed his new £32m comrade Diego Costa to serve the team well as a Blues player, hailing the Spaniard for his strong physical ability. Former Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa finally completed his mega-money move to Stamford Bridge yesterday and joined Blues hard-man Terry on the players’ pre-season training session today. The Spaniard, who had long-since topped Blues boss Jose Mourinho’s ‘most-wanted’ list, made a devastating impact on Chelsea during the semi-final fixtures of the Champions League tournament back in the spring. Costa was one of the key Atletico players who proved instrumental in breaking…